Plant Pathology 535 (MBioS 535) - 3 credits
Molecular Genetics of Plant-Pathogen Interactions, Spring 2008
Organization:
Course Objectives:
a) To provide you with a thorough understanding of the biology, physiology, genetics, and biochemistry of interactions between plants and their pathogens
b) To provide you with a good working knowledge of current research tools used to address questions in plant-pathogen interactions
c) To provide you with the analytical tools to critically evaluate the scientific literature, design experiments and rigorously test scientific hypotheses of plant-pathogen interactions
Course Organization:
Lectures and Discussions : Two 1.5-hour classroom periods per week. We will not be following a strict lecture format in each time slot but rather will have a mix of lecture and discussion. We would like to keep the course as interactive as possible. There will be 14 discussion sessions during the semester and students will be graded based on their level of participation in these discussions.
Laboratories: This course has no laboratory component
Discussion and Evaluation of Research Papers: We will critically evaluate several research papers throughout the semester dealing with various aspects of plant-pathogen interactions. To facilitate this intiatially, we will be using a structured approach developed in the education field (M.A. Waterman and J.F. Rissler. 1982. Use of scientific research reports to develop higher-level cognitive skills. Journal of College Science Teaching 11: 336-340.). You will be expected to participate actively in these discussions and a significant portion of your grade will be based on discussion participation. Students will be selected at random and assigned to each weekly discussion section. Each student will be required to present a short (20 minutes maximum) overview of the discussion paper and then lead and moderate discussion of the research paper (see below).
Exams: There will be one midterm exam (tentatively March 4) covering the material in the first half of the course and a final exam covering the material in the second half of the course.
Discussions:
1) each student will be randomly assigned to a discussion section at the beginning of the semester.
2) each instructor will select a primary research paper his/her section(s) and this paper will be posted on the class web site at least two weeks prior to the section.
3) each student will give a 20 minute Powerpoint presentation at the beginning of each discussion section to provide context and background for discussion of the paper. Students should confer with the instructor for their section a few weeks ahead of their presentation to obtain additional background literature, Powerpoint slides etc. and also to coordinate their presentations for that week.
4) following the presentation, the student will lead a 60 minute discussion of a primary research paper following the Waterman & Rissler method. The student assigned to each discussion section will be a facilitator/moderator for the discussion and be expected to keep the discussion moving and focused.
References: There is no comprehensive textbook available which is suitable for a course at this level. However, there are several good texts, review articles, symposium proceedings, meeting abstracts etc. that are suitable for various parts of the course. These materials will be generally be made available to you on the class web site. If there are materials for which no Adobe PDF file is available, we will make photocopies for you and hand them out a week ahead. A reference list will be provided for each lecture/discussion topic. Each instructor will provide a comprehensive list of the most relevant references for each particular subject including both the pioneering work as well as the current literature. These reference lists will divided into two categories:
A) Required: These are readings that the instructors consider essential and critical for understanding the course material in each section. We expect that students will read these before coming to class and be prepared to discuss the material contained in them in class. These will frequently be recent review articles that summarize the current status of a research field and will point you to the current primary literature. These readings will be required reading for the course and all material contained within them will be considered fair game for the exam!
B) Additional references: These are generally primary research papers which provide additional detail about each particular topic. Students interested in a particular research area are encouraged to read some of these. Please do not feel that you have to read all the references provided for each lecture/discussion. They are provided for students who are interested in a more in-depth exploration of a particular topic or want additional information.
Evaluation:
You will be evaluated in three different ways. Each component is presented as a percentage of your final grade:
a) general discussion participation - 20%
b) mid term examination - 25%
c) final examination - 25%
d) discussion leader and presentation - 30%
Johnson
Hall 329 (office) &
328 (lab)
Tel.: (509)335-3733
Fax: (509)335-9581
E-mail: carris@mail.wsu.edu
Teaching:
General Mycology PlP 421/521-offered every fall semester (PLP521 Online)
Advanced Fungal Biology PlP 526 -offered alternate spring semesters
Molds, Mildews and Mushrooms: The Fifth Kingdom PlP150 -offered every spring semester
Other Teaching Activities:
"Hunting Fall Mushrooms," Community Enrichment Program, University of Idaho
Mushroom forays for Palouse Mycological Association.
Professional Activities:
Liaison, WSU Association for Faculty Women (2005-present)
Heading using the h3tag
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